Corner Boy have released their new single ‘Kingdom Come and Go’. I spoke with singer Mick D’Arcy about the new single, upcoming gigs and their fantastic video filmed in Johnstown Castle.
‘Kingdom Come and Go’ is a spirited tune laced with the band’s passionate musicianship and irresistible melodies. With a foot-tapping rhythm and vibrant instrumentation, this song is a musical gem sure to delight listener’s ears.
“This was a song that we had worked on a couple of years ago. Sometimes, you might work on a song and it might not click at that moment, but we were in a rehearsal room about two years ago and we were playing through the song and yeah, it just came back to life. Sometimes it happens with songs that when you play it, just new ideas will come to it and I guess the story of the song as well, it’s an exploration of a connection between two people, the highs and the lows. So we started working on the song with the new energy we had brought. We were able to finish it then lyrically as well. That new energy like I said, it just breathed life back into it. So it was a song that we had on the backburner for a long time and we just thought it’d be a great single to release”
There is a lively atmosphere in the song enhanced by fiddle and banjo elements. Corner Boy pivot the track around the fiddle/banjo embellishments and driving guitar to create a folk/ indie fusion that is a joy to listen to.
” I guess our sound will be considered to be folk and from a young age, we would have been raised in the folk tradition with aspects of traditional Irish music as well. That’s always really important for us to retain what got us into music, folk and traditional Irish music. It’s really important as a band to try to find the balance with contemporary sounds as well. You’re brought up in traditional music from a young age but then, you know, you leave home, you see a bit of the world on your own two feet, you take new sounds and you begin to allow yourself to be influenced by newer ideas, new sounds and contemporary themes, music structures and songwriting. So combining that with what we knew from a folk sense, all of a sudden for us as a band, we arrived in this place of writing songs that sounded really fresh and exciting to us and something worth developing. So I guess it’s kind of exploring the potential of that feeling. That’s where we are as a band, taking a bit of old, taking a bit of new and then finding something that’s fresh and exciting in between too.”
‘Kingdom Come and Go’ is awash with lush instrumentation and driving rhythms. The song is brimming with emotive sounds yet each element within the track has its place allowing the expressive soundscape to flourish without becoming overpowering.
“We’ve had a lot of years to refine that process and what it feels like to us. It’s a delicate enough thing. When the band first started out, we released our first EP. It was very roots orientated. It was folk it was traditional Irish influenced, then we would have released another EP that was a bit more Indie influenced and another one that was a bit more rock influenced. So we finally feel that, you know, we’re in a position this year where we’re releasing our debut album that we’ve kind of taken all of that learning, that journey over the last 9/10 years as a band and I guess two years ago, when we decided to finally sit down and record the album we felt that we were in this comfortable position where we really knew the essence of what we were trying to do. We had gone through all of the different stages to get to this point and we feel that’s fairly self evident in the music. We’ve gone through this whole cycle of different genres and exploring them and we’ve emerged with this original sound that’s very much representative of ourselves. “
“I think a lot of artists put a lot of pressure on themselves to be this new all encompassing, fresh and exciting sound. Our band started in fairly humble, modest surroundings. One of the main things we wanted to do was just play a gig outside of Wexford and to write three or four original songs and then all of a sudden, we just had this massive creative burst from early on in the band. We started getting invited to play festivals and we had to start building a set and it was a really, really exciting time for us. When you put yourself under that kind of pressure, a lot of things can get rushed. So we said we’re going to try to take the pressure out of that scenario at all costs and slowly develop our sound, not rush it and make sure that the music is something that’s representative of all of us. It was trying to make sure that we had this collective sound that represented us all equally. That can be a really difficult thing to do. Sometimes that takes time and it certainly took time. My one piece of advice is; try if at all possible to take the pressure out of the situation as much as you can and allow the space and time that you need to evolve naturally. We feel collectively as a band now that we’ve certainly arrived at that place.“
Corner Boy’s songs are filled with vivid imagery, and ‘Kingdom Come and Go’ is no exception. Lines such as “Your careless and free, A Lark on the breeze “ are simple yet wonderfully evocative and add a poetic aspect to the band’s music.
“Some songs take a long time to write, some songs take you know only five minutes. This was one of those songs that we had originally written the music of but lyrically it’s something that came really quickly. Some people think that’s a really good thing, some people think not so much but for us we were happy this song emerged naturally and finished itself really quickly with regards to the lyrics. This song is about the discussion of connection between two people. It’s almost like a back-and-forth conversation at times, you know, talking about the idea of connection, and what it would mean to one another. So describing these things and bringing in aspects of narrative and storytelling that’s really important to us – painting that vivid imagery within the song and allowing it to match up with the energy of the music as well is key. So, yeah, these different musical ideas within the song that are kind of soaring, really powerful and energetic the music, just trying to match that. So I guess we felt that we had done that really well with the single in particular, then as a result, we decided to have this as a great representation of us, where we are now musically, sonically, lyrically.”
The vocals in this song are quite powerful. It’s not one for a timid vocalist and D’Arcy delivers a goosebump-inducing performance. We discussed his vocal talents and if he was always a confident singer.
“No, I certainly wasn’t a confident singer. I remember in primary school, there was 36 people in my class and 33 of them got picked for the school choir, I was one of the three that didn’t. I always had my own style, but I guess this is something that would have come out from us playing around at different sessions being around other musicians. For me, it was always important, playing with other musicians to have a voice that really had an impact to it and was able to be quiet when it was needed in certain parts of songs, but you know, really show the power of what you’re trying to connect with in the lyrics when it’s needed and I guess, it arrived with this song.The song is incredibly vibrant, energetic and impactful. The vocal melody really needed to match that at certain points. So we’re quite lucky with the band as well that we have five different vocalists as well, five individual strong singers. Yeah we were blessed when it came to laying down backing vocals and stuff like that as well. It was a nice challenge for us to be able to match the intensity of certain parts of the songs.”
The band have released the music video for ‘Kingdom Come and Go’. Shot in Johnstown Castle the band discuss the theme of the song through wonderful visuals.
“We wanted something that embodied [ the ] story. We shoot all of our own music videos, we storyboard it all together, we direct everything. So everything is very much self-contained within the band, all the visuals all of the artwork, it’s done by the band. So the story was that the castle in essence you know, somebody’s been stuck really in their own mind and trying to wander around and figure out what exactly they wanted from a relationship or a conversation and that’s what we’re exploring lyrically in the song.The castle is something that’s very much representative of that, you’re stuck in this place, and you’re trying to figure your way out. The conversations that you have with yourself and the actions that you go through to find your way out of it. So it’s something we wanted to to get across. We all [the band] live within 10 minutes from each other in County Wexford and the one thing in that area is this place called Johnston Castle. It’s right in the middle where all of us live. For a long time, we would have all driven by this huge place and thought wouldn’t it be amazing to shoot a video there one day and luckily enough they were like absolutely. They gave us the keys to the place and we’re able to create the story that we wanted that would match lyrically with the song and for the video to be dynamic and interesting. We feel we achieved that anyway, with the video. We’re really happy with it.”
Corner Boy’s debut album is due for release in October 2022 and D’Arcy told me what gigs the band have planned to celebrate the release.
“Yeah, so I guess our next show will be I think we’re okay to announce that we’re playing Electric Picnic at the start of September so that will be one of the first airings of the song which we’re really, really excited about. Then after that we have dates that are going to be launched soon for shows in our hometown in Wexford, then in Dublin and Whelan’s in October when we’re releasing the album as well. Information on that is going to be coming out in the next week or two. So we’re really excited to start gigging again and be able to air the album in full in the live setting. That’s really, really important to us. Playing live is the thing that’s always been central to the band. So we’re looking forward to getting back on the road from September onwards.”
Corner Boy package their exciting and kinetic sound in one fiery heartfelt tune and the result is a song that boasts glorious melodies, rich instrumentation and heartfelt emotion. Featuring surging brass sections, gripping fiddle outbursts and an anthemic sing-along chorus, ‘Kingdom Come and Go’ is a fine example of Corner Boy’s immense talent.
Watch the video for ‘Kingdom Come and Go’ below
Author: Danu
